Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.

Thank you. I’d like to ask the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment if he would like to read his opening remarks. Minister Lafferty.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Ms. Saturnino.

I call Committee of the Whole to order. We have one item before us today on our agenda, Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act. What is the wish of the committee? Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Saturnino.

Did the department consider that in the small communities where there was nothing established formally for early childhood development, that perhaps a made-in-the-North, not in association with the school, kind of approach could have been better where we could have involved parents and families and incorporated some other kind of parenting support and training and life skills and different things? I am not trying to be mean to the smaller communities, but obviously there is a higher unemployment rate in those communities and it might have been an opportunity to get parents and children, if...

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Ms. Saturnino.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m probably the umpteenth person who has stood up in this House to talk about Junior Kindergarten, but I have to weigh in on this topic. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Right from the start, who can argue with early childhood development and expanding that within our government? Where the problem lies is how this department tried to take, yet again, a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to early childhood development in the communities without taking into consideration what impacts that would have and what ripple effect that...

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Lafferty.

I’ll keep this really short. Here’s a scenario: The grandparents already have the child in their care. The child is not apprehended. The grandparents intervened. They already have the child in their care. Who can they go to to talk about getting support for caring for that child, other than income support? Thank you.